Sunday, 21 February 2010

Women in Punjab Pakistan are now safer because men don't need their permission for Polygamy

Two pieces of legislation from provincial assembly of Punjab should be enough to prove that you do not need a religious fundamentalist in power to run a Taliban style dumb government. A female member parliament has recently had the honour to bring about a resolution to release Muslim men in Punjab province from the shackles of having to seek a formal agreement from wife number 1, 2 or 3 to marry once more. According to Ms Samina Khawar Hayat, opposition MP who promoted the resolution:

“If there is no bar on them [men] marrying again, all of men’s frustrations would be reduced, while women would be able to salvage their honour and lead secure lives.”

Now how about that for women's emancipation. Tazeen, a fellow blogger commented

Are all unmarried women without honour which they can only salvage or reclaim after becoming someone’s second, third or fourth wife? What kind of society have we become where the only course of security of a single woman is to become someone‘s second, third or fourth wife.

Ms. Hayat's contribution to making life more secure for Pakistan's downtrodden female population doesn't stop here. Recently she lead on a legislation to make use of mobile phones expensive for the youth in the province so that they are unable to chat/text each other at night thus saving their morality. Ms Hayat believes that a chastity belt of laws making communications among youth prohibitively expensive will save Pakistani girls from "harassment" through unwanted texts and calls.

Unfortunate thing is that stupid proposals like these two were able to gain cross party support in the provincial assembly demonstrating how out of touch with reality is the current political leadership. What's more unfortunate is that fact that this is happening under a provincial government that boasts to be better enlightened and efficient than others in the country.